School Courses

So you’ve studied math in school but have wondered when would it really apply. Well, robotics relies heavily on both math and science skills. People interested in robotics often learn about specific subjects. These include the following:

Mechanical Engineering: A study of physics and material science.

A physics course is highly recommended for this type of study. However, trigonometry and calculus classes do help a lot.

Mechanical Engineering involves learning about:

Gravity

Friction

Speed and Acceleration

Newton’s Laws

Inertia

Electronics and Circuitry

Electrical Engineering: The study and application of Electricity and Electronics.

A physics course for learning about electricity and circuits is highly recommended. Courses at school that teach about Electronics and have hands on learning are very difficult to find. So self study is highly recommended. Electronics are cheap and instructional guides are available at local libraries or online (Books, videos, forums, etc.).

Electrical Engineering involves learning about:

Electronic components

Analog Circuits

Digital Logic

Micro-controllers

Computer Programming: The use of logic and algorithms through programming languages.

This is often used to control a computer or a robot! Computer programming software is available for free or at a relatively cheap price. A lot of resources are available to learn how program in any language. These days, we have computer classes where students learn the hardware of a computer and a variety of software.

Computer Programming involves learning about:

Control Structures

Data Types

Algorithms

Hardware Control

Advanced Subjects to consider: As your programming and mechanical engineering skills develop and the robots you build become increasingly complex, other subjects become necessary to consider.

Solid Mechanics (necessary for large robots)

AI or also known as Artificial Intelligence (Making a robot able to learn and become more self aware of itself and the environment)

Many of the resources to learning these subjects and studies are available at school! But sometimes they are not so online learning materials are very helpful. Here are some links: